Estudio sobre las diferencias entre el quiste verdadero y el quiste en bahia

1. CLINICAL RESEARCH
“True” Versus “Bay” Apical
Cysts: Clinical, Radiographic,
Histopathologic, and
Histobacteriologic Features
ABSTRACT
Introduction: This study compared the main clinical, radiographic, and histologic features of
true and bay apical cysts. Methods: The study material comprised 95 biopsy specimens of
apical periodontitis lesions obtained attached to the root tip of both untreated and root canal–
treated teeth. Clinical and radiographic data were recorded. Specimens were obtained by
extraction or periradicular surgery and were meticulously processed for histopathologic and
histobacteriologic methods. All cases diagnosed as apical cysts (n 5 23) were divided into the
true and bay types, which were then compared for tooth location, patient’s sex, lesion size,
severity of clinical symptoms, presence of a sinus tract, previous abscess episodes, and
prevalence of bacteria in the main root canal lumen and ramifications, on the outer root
surface, and within the cyst cavity. Results: Eleven specimens were classified as true (48%)
and 12 (52%) as bay cysts. Bacteria were found in all specimens, regardless of the
histopathologic diagnosis. Planktonic bacteria were observed in the main root canal in all true
cysts and in 11 of 12 (92%) bay cyst cases. Biofilms were detected in the main canal in 10
cases from each diagnostic group and were frequently observed in ramifications.
Extraradicular biofilms occurred in a few specimens only. Bacteria were visualized within the
cavity of both true (4/11, 36%) and bay (6/12, 50%) cyst specimens. The severity of histologic
inflammation was always high. There were no significant differences between true and bay
cysts for all the clinical, radiographic, histopathologic, and histobacteriologic parameters
assessed. Conclusions: Except for the morphologic relationship of the cyst cavity with the
root canal space, true and bay cysts exhibited no other significant differences in the various
parameters evaluated. The 2 cyst types were always associated with an intraradicular
infection and sometimes with an extraradicular infection. Findings question the need to
differentiate true and bay cysts and do not support the assumption that true cysts are self-
sustainable entities not maintained by infection. (J Endod 2020;46:1217–1227.)
KEY WORDS
Apical periodontitis; bay apical cyst; biofilm; endodontic infection; true apical cyst
In response to root canal infection, the periradicular tissues mount an immune reaction that may give rise
to bone resorption and granuloma formation1
. With the passage of time, the lesion may become
epithelialized as the epithelial cell rests of Malassez start to proliferate in the granuloma, and, ultimately, a
cavity lined by an epithelium is formed, which characterizes the apical cyst. The lumen of the apical cyst
cavity is usually lined by a stratified squamous epithelium, although in about 8% of the apical cysts the
cavity may be partially or predominantly lined by ciliated columnar cells of respiratory origin2,3
. Four
theories have tried to explain the genesis of the apical cyst cavity, including the breakdown theory4
, the
abscess theory5,6
, the immunologic theory7
, and the trapped connective tissue theory8
, but none of them
has been clearly demonstrated to be true.
Numerous studies have evaluated the prevalence of apical cysts among periradicular lesions.
Apical granuloma is the most common histopathologic form of apical periodontitis in the large majority of
studies, and the prevalence of cysts ranges from 6%–55%9–16
. Cysts and granulomas cannot be
distinguished by radiographic examination alone9,13,14
, although large lesions are more likely to be
cysts17,18
. Although some studies have suggested that cysts can be differentiated from granulomas by
SIGNIFICANCE
This study found no
differences between true and
bay cysts concerning clinical
and histopathologic
manifestations. Both types
always exhibited intraradicular
and sometimes extraradicular
infection. Findings do not
support the assumption that
true cysts are self-sustainable
entities not associated with
infection.
From the *Private Practice, Cetraro, Italy;
†
Department of Endodontics, Faculty of
Dentistry, Grande Rio University, Rio de
Janeiro; ‡
Department of Endodontics and
Dental Research, Iguaçu University, Nova
Iguaçu, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and
x
Department of Endodontics, Francisco
Marroquín University, Guatemala City,
Guatemala
Address requests for reprints to Dr
Domenico Ricucci, Piazza Calvario, 7,
87022, Cetraro (CS), Italy.
E-mail address: dricucci@libero.it
0099-2399/$ - see front matter
Copyright © 2020 American Association
of Endodontists.
https://doi.org/10.1016/
j.joen.2020.05.025
Domenico Ricucci, MD, DDS,*
Isabela N. R^
oças, DDS, MSc,
PhD,†‡
Sandra Hern
andez, DDS,
MSc,†x
and Jos
e F. Siqueira, Jr.,
DDS, MSc, PhD†‡
JOE Volume 46, Number 9, September 2020 True Versus Bay Cysts 1217

2. other approaches, including polyacrylamide
gel electrophoresis of the periapical fluid,
tomography, and ultrasound real-time
imaging18–21
, a definitive diagnostic
differentiation can only be attained by
histopathology, especially using a serial
sectioning approach to include the entire
lesion. Most of the studies that evaluated the
cyst prevalence did not perform serial
sectioning, and this may have compromised
the results and help explain the wide range
reported. The few studies that used serial
sectioning or serial step sectioning showed a
cyst prevalence of 15%–32% of the apical
periodontitis lesions3,10,22
.
Depending on the relationship of the
cyst cavity with the root canal via the apical
foramen, the apical cyst has been classified as
a “true” or “bay” (also known as a “pocket”)
cyst22,23
. The lumen of the bay cyst cavity
communicates directly with the root canal
system through the apical foramen with the
root apex protruding into the cavity, whereas
the true cyst has a completely independent
cavity with no continuity or connection to the
root canal. Simon22
used the serial sectioning
approach to evaluate apical periodontitis
lesions in untreated teeth that remained
attached to the root apices after extraction and
reported that true and bay cysts occurred in
similar prevalences (ie, 9% of the lesions).
Therefore, true and bay cysts each
corresponded to 50% of the apical cysts.
Another study using serial sections or serial
step sections of lesions adhered to the apices
reported that 9% were true cysts and 6% were
bay cysts10
. Of the apical cysts, 61.5% were
true, and 38.5% were bay cysts. The study by
Ricucci et al3
was another one that evaluated
serial sections from whole lesion specimens
attached to the apices of untreated extracted
teeth. Although 42% of the lesions showed an
epithelium, the frequency of cysts was 32%.
True cysts occurred in 16% of the lesions,
whereas bay cysts corresponded to 18%. Of
the apical cysts, 50% were true, and 56% were
bay cysts (1 lesion contained the 2 types).
It was proposed in a study of untreated
teeth22
and was reinforced by only 1 case
report24
that the true cyst, assumed to be a
self-sustaining lesion, cannot heal after
nonsurgical root canal treatment, whereas bay
cysts, especially the smaller lesions, can10,22
.
The rationale provided was that the bay cyst is
open to the root canal and then amenable to
intracanal infection control, whereas the true
cyst represents a disease entity no more
dependent on the root canal infection and then
not responsive to root canal treatment22,23
.
This theory has been strongly questioned
because it does not exhibit biological
plausibility8,25
. Siqueira26
raised the point that
the bay cyst may be more prone to become
infected by bacteria advancing directly from
the canal into the cyst cavity, which might
impair healing even after proper intracanal
antimicrobial treatment. Indeed, an infected
bay cyst has been reported as the cause of
nonsurgical treatment failure27
.
Accurate histopathologic diagnosis of
apical periodontitis lesions is reliant on serial
sectioning evaluation of a biopsy specimen
that represents the entire lesion.
Histopathology of a limited number of sections
may be confusing and may make the operator
erroneously classify an epithelialized
granuloma as a cyst or a bay cyst as a true
cyst. In addition, a proper differentiation
between true and bay cysts can only be made
if the lesion specimen remains attached to the
root apex obtained by periradicular surgery or
extraction because the continuity of the cyst
cavity with the root canal is essential
information. Comparisons of the
histopathologic features of the 2 conditions are
limited in the literature, and no study has so far
evaluated the histobacteriology of true and bay
cysts.
The present study used meticulous
serial sectioning and histopathologic/
histobacteriologic evaluations to compare the
main features of true and bay cysts that might
justify the alleged different biological behavior
between them after root canal treatment.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Clinical Specimens
The study material was composed of 95
human biopsies of apical periodontitis lesions
obtained attached to the root tip of both
untreated and root canal–treated teeth. The
specimens were obtained by endodontic
specialists or oral surgeons through
periradicular surgery or extraction in private
dental practices and dental schools and sent
consecutively over a period of 12 years to a
single histologic laboratory. At the time of
treatment, the patients were presented with
risks, benefits, treatments, and options and
had given consent for examination of their
teeth. The patients’ mean age was 37.3 years
(range, 15–82 years). The protocol for this
retrospective study was approved by the
institutional review board.
Clinical and radiographic data were
available for all teeth. Symptoms were
categorized as follows:
1. absent (asymptomatic), when the patient
reported no pain episodes and the tooth
was comfortable with normal response to
vertical/lateral percussion and periapical
palpation;
2. mild, when the patient reported no
episodes of spontaneous pain and no self-
medication with analgesics, but the tooth
was slightly tender to chewing and
pressure;
3. moderate, when the patient declared
episodes of spontaneous pain and self-
medication with analgesics, which
succeeded in resolving pain, and exhibited
tenderness to percussion/palpation; and
4. severe, when there was excruciating pain,
not resolved with analgesics, associated
with a painful response to percussion/
palpation.
Information on the occurrence of acute
abscess episodes related to the affected tooth
any time before surgery/extraction was also
available. These cases had been diagnosed by
the clinician based on the development of
swelling and redness of the skin associated
with pain that prompted the patient to seek
professional aid. Some patients with
abscesses had been treated with antibiotics.
The radiographic lesion size was
determined as the mean diameter of the
periapical radiolucency and categorized as
small if they were 5 mm and large if they were
.5 mm. Teeth with periodontal pockets
communicating with the periapical lesion or
teeth with vertical fractures were excluded
from the study.
To be included in the study, the
specimen obtained by extraction or surgery
should have consisted of the entire apical
periodontitis lesion still adhered to the root
apex. Periradicular surgery was performed as
follows. After elevation of a full-thickness
periosteal flap, the buccal bone covering the
lesion was carefully removed until the
pathologic tissue and the root tip were
exposed. The root tip was first resected
approximately 3 mm short of the apex with a
fissure bur. Subsequently the soft tissue was
carefully enucleated from the bone crypt with
smooth microelevators, in an attempt to obtain
the resected root tip and the surrounding
pathologic soft tissue in one piece.
The teeth were processed for light
microscopy. From this pool, only specimens in
which a cyst cavity was detected in the
histologic sections (23 cases) were selected
for the present study.
Histopathologic and
Histobacteriologic Analyses
Specimens were fixed in 10% buffered
formalin for at least 48 hours. Demineralization
was performed in a solution of 22.5% (vol/vol)
formic acid and 10% (wt/vol) sodium citrate for
a period of 3–4 weeks. The end point was
determined radiographically. For the
1218 Ricucci et al. JOE Volume 46, Number 9, September 2020

3. specimens obtained by extraction, the apical
4-to 5-mm segment of the root was separated
with a sharp razor blade. At the end of the
demineralization process, specimens were
washed in running water for 24 hours and
dehydrated in ascending grades of ethanol
(50%–100%). After clearing in xylene, they
were infiltrated and embedded in paraffin.
Next, the biopsies were oriented parallel to the
long axis of the main root canal in the apical
third in order to obtain sections with the main
canal and periapical tissue in direct continuity.
Serial sections were taken with the microtome
set at 4–5 mm. Every fifth slide was stained with
hematoxylin-eosin for screening purposes in
order to locate the areas with the most severe
reactions. Additional slides were stained as
needed. Selected slides were stained with
Masson trichrome to identify collagen and with
the Taylor modification of the Brown-Brenn
stain for the presence of bacteria28
.
Apical periodontitis lesions were
classified according to agreed
histomorphologic criteria into granulomas,
abscesses, and cysts29,30
. The diagnosis of a
cyst was made when a distinct cavity lined by
epithelium and filled with semisolid material
was observed. Depending on the relationship
between the epithelial lining of the cyst cavity
and the root and between the cyst cavity and
the root canal space, cystic lesions were
differentiated into “true” or “bay” cysts22
. The
lesions classified as true cysts were
characterized by the presence of a cavity
bordered by an epithelial wall that was not
continuous with the canal lumen in any of the
serial histologic sections. The lesions classified
as bay cysts showed a cystic space
surrounded by an epithelial wall that joined the
external root surface forming a “sac,” isolating
the foramen from the rest of the lesion. The bay
cyst cavity had a direct opening into the canal
lumen.
In the 23 cases diagnosed as apical
cysts (true or bay), the following aspects were
specifically looked for in the histopathologic
and histobacteriologic analyses (Table 1):
1. The presence, location, and arrangement
of bacteria (planktonic or biofilm structures)
in the apical portion of the root canal
system, including the main canal lumen and
walls and apical ramifications (intraradicular
infection). The parameter used for biofilm
classification was as defined elsewhere as
follows: “populations of microorganisms
that are concentrated at an interface and
typically surrounded by an extracellular
polymeric substance matrix”31
.
2. The presence of bacterial aggregations
adhering to the outer apical root surface
(extraradicular biofilm) eventually
presenting patterns of calcification
(calculuslike structures)
3. The presence of bacteria/bacterial
aggregations within the cyst lumen. If
present, occasional bacterial cells or
aggregations observed on the peripheral
collagenous surface of the periapical lesion
and not surrounded by an inflammatory
infiltrate were regarded as contaminants,
possibly resulting from the passage of the
specimen through the socket during
extraction; as such, they were excluded
from evaluation.
4. The intensity of histologic inflammation was
ranked as none; mild, when limited
aggregations of exclusively chronic
inflammatory cells were seen in the cyst
lumen and/or a few chronic inflammatory
cells infiltrated the subepithelial connective
tissue; moderate, when discrete
accumulations of chronic inflammatory
cells occurred in the cyst lumen and
epithelial walls with some occasional
polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs); or
severe, when large accumulations of acute
and chronic inflammatory cells with a
prevalence of PMNs were evident in the
cyst lumen intermixed with necrotic debris
or cholesterol crystals or in the cyst walls,
heavily infiltrating the epithelium.
Statistical Analysis
Statistical analysis was performed to evaluate if
there were differences between true and bay
cysts regarding tooth location (maxillary or
mandibular); patient’s sex; lesion size (small or
large); severity of clinical symptoms (severe or
not); presence of a sinus tract; history of a
previous acute abscess; and prevalence of
planktonic bacteria or bacterial biofilms in the
main canal lumen, biofilms in ramifications,
extraradicular biofilm, and bacteria in the cyst
lumen. The Fisher exact test was used for all
analyses with the level of significance set at 5%
(P , .05).
RESULTS
Twenty-three cystic lesions were obtained
from 21 patients (11 men and 10 women)
without contributory medical conditions. These
patients ranged in age from 20–70 years
(mean age 5 40 years). Cyst specimens were
collected from maxillary and mandibular
treated and untreated teeth. Of the 23
specimens, 2 true cysts from different teeth
belonged to the same patient, and 2 bay cysts
from different teeth were from another patient.
Twenty specimens were obtained from tooth
extraction and 3 from apical surgery.
Eleven specimens were identified as
true cysts (48%) and 12 (52%) as bay cysts.
The mean age for patients with true cysts
was 37 years (men 5 34 years and women 5
43 years), and for bay cysts, it was 43 years
(men 5 39 years and women 5 46 years).
Treated teeth with true cysts were followed
up for 5–10 years. One treated tooth with a
bay cyst was followed up for 4 years,
whereas another tooth with a bay cyst had
showed persistent exudation and symptoms
that could not be resolved after several
sessions of nonsurgical treatment and
required periradicular surgery.
The frequency of true cysts according to
the tooth type was as follows: maxillary
premolars (5), maxillary molars (3), maxillary
incisors (1), mandibular premolars (1) and
mandibular molars (1). For bay cyst, frequency
was as follows: maxillary molars (6), maxillary
incisors (3), mandibular premolars (2) and
maxillary premolars (1).
Bacteria were found in all cases
examined, regardless of the histopathologic
diagnosis (Figs. 1–5). Planktonic bacteria were
observed in the main root canal in all true cyst
cases and in 11 of 12 (92%) bay cyst cases.
Biofilms were detected in the main canal in 10
cases from each of the diagnostic groups.
These appeared to be very thick, often filling
the entire canal lumen in the apical portion
(Figs. 1A, C, and D and 2A, C, and D) and
faced with a severe concentration of PMNs
(Fig. 1C and D). Biofilms were frequently
observed in ramifications from both treated
and untreated teeth (Figs. 1B, 4B and D).
Ramifications were sometimes clogged by
dense biofilms exhibiting different bacterial
morphotypes, with the bacterial cells prevailing
over the extracellular matrix component
(Fig. 4D).
Extraradicular biofilms formed on the
external apical surface were detected only in a
few specimens from both types of cysts. None
of them showed signs of calcification. These
biofilms exhibited varying proportions of cells
and extracellular substance, and in 1 instance
the biofilm was observed between the layers of
cementum that were detached from the
radicular surface (Fig. 4E).
Bacterial cells occurred in the lumen of
true cysts in 4 of 11 (36%) specimens (Figs. 2A
and B and 3A and B) and in 6 of 12 (50%) bay
cyst specimens (Figs. 4B, C, and F and 5B and
C). These bacteria were arranged in
aggregations of varying sizes intermixed with
necrotic debris and inflammatory cells,
apparently free in the cyst lumen (Figs. 3A and
B; 4B, C, and F; and 5B and C). In 2 cases (1
bay and 1 true cyst), they were present in the
cyst lumen in the form of typical actinomycotic
colonies, with intertwining branching
JOE Volume 46, Number 9, September 2020 True Versus Bay Cysts 1219

4. filamentous bacteria surrounded by a severe
accumulation of PMNs (Fig. 2A and B).
The severity of inflammation was high in
all specimens, so it was not subjected to
statistical analysis. All kinds of inflammatory
cells were observed in the cyst lumen
together with varying amounts of amorphous
necrotic debris. The epithelial lining of all but 4
radicular cysts was constituted by a typical
stratified squamous epithelium. One true cyst
and 3 bay cysts in 4 maxillary (one third, one
second, and two first) molars showed the
characteristics of a respiratory epithelium, with
ciliated epithelial cells and goblet cells in
limited portions of the cyst walls. The epithelial
lining was in general thick and irregular, with
extensive proliferation and the tendency to
form arcading structures (Figs. 1A; 2A; 3A;
4A; and 5A, B, and D) with entrapped islands
of highly vascularized connective tissue
(Fig. 5D and E). The strands of epithelium and
the connective tissue islands were heavily
infiltrated by acute and chronic inflammatory
cells (Fig. 5E and F).
There were no significant differences
between true and bay cysts for all the clinical,
radiographic, histopathologic, and
histobacteriologic parameters evaluated (P .
.05). Data are shown in Table 1.
DISCUSSION
This study compared the prevalence and
several features of true and bay cysts
diagnosed histopathologically using a
meticulous research protocol. All apical
periodontitis lesions included in this study were
obtained attached to the teeth and therefore
maintaining their natural morphologic
relationship with the root apex. This strict
criterion was not used in the large majority of
studies evaluating the prevalence of the
different types of apical periodontitis lesions
because it is more difficult to meet. This
justifies the smaller number of cases evaluated
herein. Serial sectioning from 1 side to the
other of the apical periodontitis lesion was also
performed in this study to report on the
relationship of the lesion to the apical foramina.
These 2 approaches are essential for an
accurate histopathologic diagnosis of cysts
and their classification as true or bay types.
Findings from the present study showed that,
apart from the morphologic relationship
between the cyst cavity and the root canal
space, there were no other significant
differences between true and bay cysts in
terms of clinical, radiographic, histopathologic,
and histobacteriologic features. These findings
question the need to subdivide the
classification of apical cysts.
The frequency of cysts observed in this
study was 24% (23/95) of the apical
periodontitis lesions examined. When
compared with other studies that also
evaluated serial or serial step sections of
lesions attached to the apex, this figure is
higher than the 15% and 17% reported by Nair
et al10
and Simon22
, respectively, but is lower
than the 32% reported by Ricucci et al3
(Table 2). As for the prevalence of the 2 types
of apical cysts, this study is in agreement with
two others that shown that each type occurs in
approximately half of the cases with a cyst
diagnosis3,22
. The true cyst corresponded to
12% of all lesions, which is within the range
previously reported of 9% to 16% of all lesions.
Corresponding figures for the bay cyst were
13% in this study, in a previously reported
range of 6% to 18% of all lesions3,10,22
(Table 2).
TABLE 1 - Clinical, Radiographic, Histopathologic, and Histobacteriologic Findings Associated with True and Bay Apical Cysts
True cyst Bay cyst
P value*
Total, N (%) Untreated, n (%) Treated, n (%) Total, n (%) Untreated, n (%) Treated, n (%)
Specimens 11 7 4 12 10 2
Sex†
.2
Male 7 (70) 4 (67) 3 (75) 4 (36) 3 (33) 1 (50)
Female 3 (30) 2 (33) 1 (25) 7 (64) 6 (67) 1 (50)
Tooth location 1.0
Maxillary 9 (82) 5 (71) 4 (100) 10 (83) 8 (80) 2 (100)
Mandibular 2 (18) 2 (29) 0 (0) 2 (17) 2 (20) 0 (0)
Lesion size .68
Small (5 mm) 5 (45) 4 (57) 1 (25) 7 (58) 7 (70) 0 (0)
Large (.5 mm) 6 (55) 3 (43) 3 (75) 5 (42) 3 (30) 2 (100)
Clinical symptoms .4
None 2 (18) 1 (14) 1 (25) 2 (17) 2 (20) 0 (0)
Mild 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 3 (25) 2 (20) 1 (50)
Moderate 6 (55) 4 (57) 2 (50) 1 (8) 1 (10) 0 (0)
Severe 3 (27) 2 (29) 1 (25) 6 (50) 5 (50) 1 (50)
Previous acute abscess .4
Yes 6 (55) 4 (57) 2 (50) 9 (75) 8 (80) 1 (50)
No 5 (45) 3 (43) 2 (50) 3 (25) 2 (20) 1 (50)
Sinus tract .6
Yes 1 (9) 1 (14) 0 (0) 3 (25) 2 (20) 1 (50)
No 10 (91) 6 (86) 4 (100) 9 (75) 8 (80) 1 (50)
Planktonic bacteria 1.0
Main canal 11 (100) 7 (100) 4 (100) 11 (92) 10 (100) 1 (50)
Bacterial biofilm
Main canal 10 (91) 6 (86) 4 (100) 10 (83) 10 (100) 0 (0) 1.0
Ramifications 10 (91) 7 (100) 3 (75) 9 (75) 7 (70) 2 (100) .59
Extraradicular 1 (9) 1 (14) 0 (0) 3 (25) 2 (20) 1 (50) .59
Bacteria in the cyst cavity 4 (36) 3 (43) 1 (25) 6 (50) 5 (50) 1 (50) .68
*Fisher’s exact test.
†
One patient contributed 2 true cysts and another patient contributed 2 bay cysts.
1220 Ricucci et al. JOE Volume 46, Number 9, September 2020

5. No previous study had compared the
histobacteriology of true and bay cysts. No
distinct pattern of infection was observed
between the 2 types. Intraradicular bacteria
were found in all cases, regardless of the
associated cyst type and the root canal status
(untreated or treated). Planktonic bacteria were
observed in the main canal in all teeth, except
for 1 bay cyst specimen, in which bacteria
occurred as a biofilm in ramifications and in the
extraradicular space. Bacteria organized in
biofilm structures were observed in the main
apical canal in the large majority of specimens,
except for 1 true cyst and 2 bay cyst cases. In
response to bacteria present in the root canal
and sometimes inside the lesion, severe
inflammation was observed in both cyst types.
The present findings do not give support to the
assumption that true cysts can be an
independent entity in the absence of
concomitant bacterial infection because
infection occurred in all cases.
Extraradicular bacteria were found in
many cases, either inside the cyst lumen or in
fewer cases as a biofilm adhered to the outer
root surface near the exits of apical foramina.
The histobacteriologic method permits better
distinction of bacterial contaminants when
compared with other methods of bacterial
detection, such as culture and molecular
methods, because it provides information on
bacterial spatial location in the lesion and the
association with inflammation. Specimens
with contaminants were excluded from the
study. Extraradicular bacteria were found in 5
specimens of true cysts, 4 within the cyst
cavity and 1 as a biofilm adhered to the outer
root surface. Of these 5 cases, 4 had a history
of previous acute abscess, and 1 had a sinus
tract. These may have been the most possible
explanations for the bacteria detected in the
extraradicular space, particularly in the cyst
lumen. After resolution of the abscess,
bacteria may have persisted in the
periradicular tissues and maintained a chronic
infectious process. Even though the case with
a sinus tract had not had a previous report of
acute abscess, this might have occurred with
subclinical symptoms to justify the fistula.
Cases with a sinus tract have been shown to
harbor an extraradicular infection in about
83% of the teeth32
. Bacteria present within
the cyst cavity are beyond the reach of
nonsurgical root canal procedures and are
B
D
C
A
FIGURE 1 – A bay cyst. (A ) A section cut through the main canal and foramen. The cyst lumen is continuous with the root canal space (Taylor modified Brown and Brenn, original
magnification !16). (B ) An area of the canal located approximately 5 mm coronal to the foramen (not shown in A ). Biofilms with low bacterial density in the main canal and
ramifications (original magnification !50). (C ) Detail of the area of the apical canal indicated by the arrow in A. A thick bacterial biofilm fills the entire lumen and is faced with an
accumulation of inflammatory cells. Note the “floc” displaced apically in the inflammatory tissue (arrow ) (original magnification !100). (D ) A high-power view of the biofilm showing a
dense aggregation of filamentous forms (original magnification !400).
JOE Volume 46, Number 9, September 2020 True Versus Bay Cysts 1221

6. located in an area that makes it difficult for the
host defenses to eliminate, given the type and
consistency of the cyst lumen content.
However, the fate of bacteria eventually
persisting in a cyst cavity after elimination of
the intraradicular component is not known.
There are no reports demonstrating that
bacterial colonies located inside the cyst
cavity may cause root canal treatment failure
A B
C D
FIGURE 2 – A true cyst. (A ) A section cut through 2 ramifications filled with bacterial biofilms. The cyst lumen is separated from the root canal space (this anatomic feature is
maintained in all sections of the series) (Taylor modified Brown and Brenn, original magnification !16). (B ) Detail of the cyst cavity whose lumen is filled with cells and debris. A high-
power view of the blue spot at the center of the cyst lumen reveals an actinomycoticlike colony surrounded by a severe concentration of PMNs (original magnification !50, inset !
630). (C ) A section cut approximately 150 sections from that in A disclosing another large ramification clogged with a thick bacterial biofilm (original magnification !16). (D ) Middle
magnification from C (original magnification !100).
A B
FIGURE 3 – A true cyst. (A ) A large cyst cavity containing some debris (Taylor modified Brown and Brenn, original magnification !16). (B ) Magnification of the rectangular area in A.
Large numbers of bacteria colonize the necrotic debris in the lumen (original magnification ! 100, inset ! 400).
1222 Ricucci et al. JOE Volume 46, Number 9, September 2020

7. in the absence of a concomitant intraradicular
infection.
The only case report that suggested
that true cysts could be a self-sustaining entity
independent from canal infection found no
bacteria in the canal by culture and a
correlative light and electron microscopic
approach24
. However, bacteria may have
passed unnoticed when using methods with
low sensitivity for bacterial detection. A
negative culture does not guarantee that the
root canal is free of bacteria, especially
because of the limitations of the culture
technologies in detecting difficult-to-grow and
as-yet-uncultivated bacteria and the inability
to detect bacteria at low levels33
. In addition,
the correlative light and electron microscopic
approach used in the previous study can
provide highly detailed information from some
selected areas but has a very low sensitivity to
detect bacteria. In that method, a serial step-
cutting approach is used in that stained
sections are examined under the light
microscope to locate sites for further
sectioning and evaluation in a transmission
electron microscope. Miniature pyramids are
prepared at the selected sites that show
bacteria in light microscopy or that are likely to
harbor bacteria34
. The low sensitivity for
bacterial detection is recognized by the
authors themselves—“the extremely limited
area that still can be covered by this means of
investigation makes it rather easy for bacteria
to go undetected”34
. This is because of the
loss of biopsy material due to preparation for
transmission electron microscopy and the
very small area that can be examined under a
transmission electron microscope. In turn, the
histobacteriology approach used in this study
has been very successful in revealing bacteria
in the vast majority of cases with
posttreatment apical periodontitis27,35,36
,
including the lesions examined in the present
investigation.
The assumption that the true cyst
becomes a pathologic entity independent of
the root canal system and is not affected by
nonsurgical root canal treatment is only
speculative and has neither scientific evidence
support nor biological plausibility8,25
. Although
this cyst type has no apparent communication
with the root canal, this by no means can be
interpreted as being a separate disease entity.
The etiology is the same as the bay cyst (ie,
infection of the root canal system that causes
periradicular inflammation), and some locally
released inflammatory mediators serve as
growth factors for epithelium proliferation and
cyst formation. There is no reason to believe
that the epithelium lining of the true cyst can
become self-sustainable, like neoplastic
lesions8,25
. The present study lends
substantial additional information to debunk
A
E
B C
D F
E
FIGURE 4 – A bay cyst. (A ) A section encompassing the root canal, foramen, and cyst cavity. Overview (hematoxylin-eosin, original magnification !8). (B ) A section taken 80
sections away passing through the canal but not including the main foramen. Several ramifications can be seen in the thickness of the left canal wall (Taylor modified Brown and Brenn,
original magnification !16). (C ) Magnification of the area demarcated by the rectangle in B (original magnification !100). (D ) A high-power view of the exit of the lateral canal
indicated by the arrow in B. Its lumen is occupied by a dense biofilm showing varying bacterial morphotypes (original magnification !400). (E ) A high-power view of the area indicated
by the arrow in C. Filaments prevail in a biofilm structure adhering to the radicular surface and showing varying bacterial concentrations (original magnification !400). (F ) A high-
power view of the elongated free colony in C (original magnification !400).
JOE Volume 46, Number 9, September 2020 True Versus Bay Cysts 1223

8. A
E
B C
D
F
FIGURE 5 – A bay cyst. (A ) A section cut through the apical canal and foramen (Taylor modified Brown and Brenn, original magnification !25). (B ) A section taken approximately 80
sections away from that in A, not encompassing the apical foramen (original magnification !25). (C ) A high-power view of the area of the cyst lumen indicated by the arrow in B.
Bacterial aggregation intermixed with amorphous fuchsin-stained material and inflammatory cells (original magnification !630). (D ) Another section of the series taken 40 sections
after that in B. The cyst lumen is lined by a thick wall of arcading epithelium (Masson trichrome, original magnification !25). (E ) A high-power view of epithelial strands indicated by the
arrow in D. The epithelium surrounds cores of connective tissue infiltrated with inflammatory cells (original magnification !400). (F ) The strands appear infiltrated by polymor-
phonuclear neutrophils (original magnification !1000).
1224 Ricucci et al. JOE Volume 46, Number 9, September 2020

9. this theory because true and bay cysts
showed no significant differences for all
variables evaluated. In addition, the cysts that
represented posttreatment apical periodontitis
were of both types, and concurrent bacterial
infection was always present inside the canal
and sometimes outside. Therefore, it seems
evident that failure of the endodontic
treatment, including cases of true cysts, is
primarily caused by persistent or secondary
intraradicular bacterial infection with, in some
cases, concurrent extraradicular bacterial
infection.
A definitive answer as to whether cysts
(all or only the “true” ones) can heal or not after
nonsurgical root canal treatment would only be
provided if cysts and other lesions could be
distinguished without biopsy. A differentiation
cannot be achieved by radiographs alone, and
the effectiveness of the other methods has not
been confirmed; only an old study using
polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the root
canal aspirates to differentiate granulomas and
cysts suggested that many cysts healed after
root canal treatment37
. Indirect evidence that
cysts heal can be inferred from the fact that the
success rate of endodontic treatment is higher
than the cyst prevalence9,15,38,39
. Moreover,
suggestive evidence is given by a study in
which the nonsurgical root canal treatment of
large cysticlike lesions with a fluid content
containing cholesterol crystals resulted in
complete healing in 74% and incomplete
healing in 9.5% of cases40
. Therefore, it seems
reasonable to assume that apical cysts,
regardless of their types, can heal provided the
source of epithelial proliferation (ie, the root
canal infection) is eliminated by treatment. If
this is true, differentiation between granulomas
and cysts or true and bay cysts would be of no
clinical relevance.
A curious finding from this study was
that from the 2 patients who contributed 2
specimens each, 1 had 2 true cysts associated
with 2 different teeth and the other had 2 bay
cysts from different teeth as well. This might
suggest an individual predisposition to develop
a true or a bay cyst, but the limited number of
patients providing more than 1 specimen was
too small to draw such a conclusion.
As typically found in apical cysts, a
stratified squamous epithelium was found
composing the lining of the cyst cavity in the
large majority of specimens. However, 4 of 23
cysts (17%), all in the maxillary region, showed
a ciliated columnar epithelium partially or
completely lining the cyst wall. All involved
teeth were maxillary molars, and the
occurrence of a ciliated columnar epithelium in
the lesions may be related to the proximity of
the root apexes and lesions to the maxillary
sinus floor2
.
In conclusion, the present findings
revealed no significant differences between
true and bay cysts as to their prevalence,
clinical, radiographic, histopathologic, and
histobacteriologic manifestations. The 2 types
of cysts were always associated with an
intraradicular infection and sometimes with an
extraradicular infection as well. The fact that
the 2 types of cysts only apparently differ from
the morphologic relationship of the cavity to
the root canal puts into question the real need
to differentiate them and subdivide the apical
cyst into categories. Finally, the fact that all
cases of true cysts from both untreated and
treated teeth had an infectious component
does not support the assumption that true
cysts are self-sustainable entities not
associated with infection.
CREDIT AUTHORSHIP
CONTRIBUTION STATEMENT
Domenico Ricucci: Investigation,
Methodology, Writing - review editing,
Visualization. Isabela N. R^
oças: Data
curation, Formal analysis, Validation. Sandra
Hern
andez: Data curation, Formal analysis.
Jos
e F. Siqueira: Conceptualization, Formal
analysis, Writing - review editing.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors deny any conflicts of interest
related to this study.
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